Eric _, darts player known as the Crafty Cockney - crossword puzzle clues & answers - Dan Word «Let me solve it for you» Eric _, darts player known as the Crafty Cockney Today's crossword puzzle clue is a general knowledge one: Eric _, darts player known as the Crafty Cockney. We will try to find the right answer to this particular crossword clue. Here are the possible solutions for "Eric _, darts player known as the Crafty Cockney" clue. It was last seen in British general knowledge crossword. We have 1 possible answer in our database. Possible answer: Darts nicknames: from the Crafty Cockney to the Assassin - BDO World Championships - Betting News | William Hill Andrea Calo 12th Dec 2008 - 12:49 Darts nicknames: from the Crafty Cockney to the Assassin Darts, through its nicknames, stands alone in UK sport. No other sport equals its colourfully monikered cast of characters in this sceptred isle – and it’s time we paid tribute to it.

Where US sport has its Babes, A-Rods and Pistol Petes, and the footballers of Brazil wear names like Garrincha ( “songbird”), Ronaldinho (“little Ronaldo”) and Fred (erm, “Fred”), sportsmen in the UK tend to go by names like Alan, Steve, Wayne and, um, Rio. Not so our nation’s professional darts players. They add some much-needed colour to the world of sport – if, no longer, ITV’s World of Sport – and what’s more, a well-chosen nickname can turn a darts player from a permed also-ran with a beergut into a household name. Just ask Steve “the Bronzed Adonis” Beaton. A good darts nickname gives you an extra three inches at the oche. Phil “the Power” Taylor has a headstart on Raymond “Barney” van Barneveld every time they meet – largely because he’s got a proper nickname. And, if you’re Keith “the Kid” Dellar, your own name could even become rhyming slang for the nation’s favourite drink.

A history of darts nicknames The first darts nickname is generally agreed to have belonged to the “Crafty Cockney”, Eric Bristow. According to a story in the Daily Mirror in 2005, he was given the nom de guerre by Bobby George – then known to the world as “Bobby George”, and not “Bobby Dazzler”, “Mister Glitter”, “the King of Darts” or any of the other monikers given to the legendary Essex pro. Another story mentions an ex-pat pub in Los Angeles that Bristow visited – that’s how big darts was in the 1980s – called “The Crafty Cockney”. The pub produced red bowling shirts with its name emblazoned on the back. London lad Bristow bagged himself one to wear on the oche – up to then he’d traditionally appeared in a red polo shirt – and the nickname went back to Britain with the darts player.

Other players of the day soon got nicknames of their own, although most were attributed by others rather than self-chosen (Bobby George almost certainly coined John Lowe’s moniker of “Old Stoneface”) and some – like Cliff Lazarenko’s “Big Cliff” – didn’t exactly test the crowd’s imagination. By the time Steve Beaton was appearing in tournaments as “the Bronzed Adonis” in the early 1990s, though, a nickname was an essential part of a pro darts player’s armoury. And with the arrival of the World Darts Council (later the PDC) and darts’ great schism, having a nickname became de facto darts law. The PDC added razzmatazz, family friendliness and Sky cash to darts, and a nickname and entrance music was part of the pro player’s package. Plain old Phil Taylor – winner of two pre-split BDO World Championships – went on to dominate the game of darts with 11 PDC titles as the more impressive Phil “the Power” Taylor.

The BDO soon got in on the act, too, with “the Count” (Ted Hankey), “the Viking” (Andy Fordham) and “Wolfie” (Martin Adams) all winning World titles. With the PDC World Darts Championship arriving soon on Sky and the BDO World Darts Championships following closely behind on the BBC, it's time to get learning those nicknames again. Selected list of darts nicknames The Assassin – Martin Atkins First and Last | Sport | The Observer Search executive jobs Search all jobs First and Last Eric Bristow was born in Hackney in 1957. Known as the Crafty Cockney, he was one of darts' most charismatic stars and won the world championship five times. As well as having 'two bowls of confidence' for breakfast, he also discovered Phil 'The Power' Taylor Interview by Lee Honeyball The Observer First time you were called the Crafty Cockney? It came from a shirt I bought in Santa Monica in the Eighties. I paid Â£25 to go on a three-week tour of America with three other blokes. I wore it on TV and it went from there.

I'm a London boy, so I liked it, know what I mean? First time you met Jocky Wilson? Playing for England against Scotland up at theirs. Word had already got round that he was a good player. I miss him now, even though we had loads of bust-ups. When I opened a club one time, I invited him and a few other players along. It had a private snooker room. Jocky was playing and needed to clean the white. He had no way to mark its position, so he took out his false teeth and used them. It was hilarious. I haven't seen him for a long time. He won't go to the pub any more. He had a drinking problem and couldn't carry on the way he was, so he stopped. He's not as lucky as George Best; he'll never just be given a new liver. Last time you had a curry? A couple of nights ago. I love 'em. I'm a vindaloo man. If I'm on the road, I'll have one every night. I've never been on a diet. You have to be overweight and eat too much crap to do that.

Let me put it this way: how many times have you seen a fat Indian? First time you threw 180? In my bedroom, when I was 12. I just wanted to get the bloody thing. I'd had so many shots at it and kept missing the last dart, but it had to come eventually. After I'd hit about 10, I stopped counting. Last time you had trouble with the police? Years and years ago in a snowman incident at my local. There was a six-foot plastic snowman outside and we'd had a few drinks so, for a laugh, we thought we'd bring it inside. I was wobbling across the car park with it when a police car pulled up. I put him on top of the car, didn't I! I told them to take the snowman home 'cause he was pissed. Then they nicked me. It was ridiculous. They said we'd scratched the top of the car. I offered them Â£500 to try to bribe them, but they wouldn't have it. First time you realised you were famous? It started when I'd get recognised in pubs, but I grew up with it really.

I had a few female fans and signed breasts, that kind of thing. Mind you, I had loads of male fans, too, although that doesn't make me gay. Last time you met Keith Deller? He's still on the circuit. I'll never forget losing the 1983 world final, when he checked out with a 138. He'd played well all week and beat the best three players in the world. People forget that. I didn't think he'd beat me, but then I never thought anyone could. I won the world championship three years running after that. First time you realised you had 'dartitis'? It was around 1986. I brought my dart back, got halfway through throwing it and could not let go. I don't know how I got it, or how I got rid of it, but I had it for about 10 years. Last time you checked your bank balance? I look at it about once a month, when I get a statement, just to see if I'm overdrawn. First time you saw Phil 'The Power' Taylor? It was in the pub I used to own called the Crafty Cockney. He played there and I spotted him.

My old driver, who's dead now, backed him to win the world championship at 66-1. Comparing us would be like comparing two former heavyweight boxers. Impossible. All I know is you'd have had two people going to the oche full of confidence. Last time you watched Chelsea? I live in Staffordshire now, so haven't been since last year. I love the way Roman Abramovich flew over 400 of his mates to watch them play Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. I'm pleased for Claudio Ranieri. He's done bloody brilliant. He comes on the TV and tells the truth, not like Alex Ferguson or ArsÂ¿ne Wenger. They both talk a load of shit. Last fight you got into? I don't fight. Never have done. Even when I get some idiot shouting '180!' at me, like they're the first person that's ever done it. Last time you got drunk? That'll be tonight, mate. I get drunk every night. Depends what you call drunk, really. I never fall over. Darts is a drinking man's game; nobody goes to the pub and plays without having a pint. I'm a Guinness man these days.

All darts players drink. They can hold it, you see. The more you drink, the more you can take it. Just because modern players don't drink on the telly, doesn't mean they don't have a few pints two or three hours before their match. Screen Break: Darts players' wives | Sport | The Guardian Share on Messenger Close Even for a deceptively simple sport, darts is deceptively simple. Forget any ideas about technique or tactics. Forget Ronnie "The Rocket" Baxter and Wayne "Hawaii Five-O-One" Mardle. Darts is about keeping your bottle. The rest is just nicknames and spangly shirts. Sky One's Darts Players' Wives had billed itself as a slice of kitsch glamour. The reality was far more beer and bingo. Rachel, wife of Ronnie, was introduced as having "the biggest mouth in darts", but it was not really that big. Peter "One Dart" Manley and his wife Crissy are known as the Posh and Becks of darts. But Posh does not cut 16-stone Becks' straggly hair on a stool in the kitchen.

The most interesting darts player was also the quietest and most successful. For the last 20 years, the 12-times world champion Phil Taylor has practised in his old bedroom at his mum's house. Elizabeth Taylor (not that one) cut straight to the point. "To me, second is nothing. Second is absolute crap." Dutifully, Phil "The Power" arrived at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet this week to defend his Ladbrokes.com world title live on Sky Sports 1. He was up against a fresh-faced challenger in Mark "Flash" Dudbridge. Flash strolled out to Queen's "Ah-aah!" Flash Gordon theme. The Power emerged to Snap's I've got the Power. Neither seemed hampered by the fact that they both sound as if they are named after cleaning products. Fittingly, Flash had seen off somebody called Ovens in the quarter-finals. Taylor looks like a champion. Something in his eyes suggests he is constantly turning over doubles, trebles, pick-offs and checkouts. Dudbridge, on the other hand, looks as if he works in Phones4U. Asked for his prediction, Eric Bristow confirmed that he is still the Crafty Cockney. "Dudbridge?

E's ge'in' be'er an' be'er an' be'er." On commentary Sid Waddell stayed away from epic similes and stuck to the darts. Later he pointed out a famous face in the crowd: Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, who wants to introduce darts to the Olympics. "It really is refreshing to see a member of parliament taking so much interest in darts," he said. Only up to a point, Sid. Dudbridge started off throwing tremendous. Taylor was only throwing so-so. " Wanhhandradanfowtay !!!" Before long the Power was throwing incredible. He hopped around like a puppy dog after taking a 5-3 lead. The mood in the commentary box was rueful. "Dudbridge is still championship material. Because of his form, because of his nerve, because of his shape." Darts is always hungry for younger, slimmer stars. It is still touchy about its shape; and the fact that, whichever way you look at it, the whole thing takes place in a pub. The Circus Tavern was like the bar on a cross channel ferry. Families drank beer and ate crisps. People danced. Kids waved.

More than anything it looked like a really good laugh. Taylor threw the winning dart and a blizzard of shiny fag papers flooded the oche. He paid warm tribute to Flash before wandering sleepily off stage. The Power looked as if he could do with a drink - and maybe a quick game of 501 down. Over on the BBC there was another world darts champi onship going on, but it was not as sleek or as much fun as Sky's production. There has been dismay recently at terrestrial TV narrowing its sporting portfolio. With the loss of Test cricket, the absence of Richie Benaud from the British summer after next has been generally mourned. Happily, the reigning Voice of Cricket can still be enjoyed in the winter via satellite. This week he was fronting up Channel 9's night-time coverage of Australia against Pakistan, introduced by Sky's Ian Ward, from what looked like the inside of a broom cupboard. If you happen to live with a colicky, three-week-old baby, Benaud's voice has a remark ably soothing effect - not on the baby, unfortunately, but he made me feel better. Channel 9 is like a less evolved version of Sky.

The graphics look cheaper and the commentators do not goof around in the same relaxed way. Watching England against South Africa in Cape Town for Sky, Ian Botham announced that during the second Test the crowd had drunk 22,000 litres of beer on the first day alone. "That's more than for the entire five days last year," he said, with the reverence normally reserved for Don Bradman's batting average. There is no Beefy or Bumble on Channel Nine. Instead they just talk about cricket. Each ball is minutely analysed. Sometimes in between overs they do not say anything . Back in Cape Town David Gower introduced a teatime interview with the Harrow School cricket coach Stephen Jones. Jones had a hair-raising story to tell. Over Christmas Harrow were on tour in Sri Lanka. When the first tsunami wave struck, they were warming up on the Test pitch in Galle. As Jones described it, "the wave came at us from a third man position". The boys were rushed from the field and up to the top floor of the clubhouse, while at ground level their team bus was hurled from one end of the ground to the other. They were safely back home a few days later.

Cricket has been particularly responsive to the disaster. The Channel 9 team were plugging the Asia v Rest Of The World benefit match at the MCG. During the game you can contribute via the red button on your remote. At last someone has found something useful to do with it. Jocky Wilson: World champion darts player famed for drinking and his unhealthy lifestyle | The Independent Jocky Wilson: World champion darts player famed for drinking and his unhealthy lifestyle Sunday 25 March 2012 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Jocky Wilson retired at the age of 45, having lost all the money he had earned from the game, and became a recluse PA Jocky Wilson was a legend as a darts player, as a television character and because of the legendarily large amounts of lager and vodka he knocked back during tournaments. In the 1980s, large TV audiences watched in fascination at the talent of the diminutive Scot – pudgy, toothless, wreathed in cigarette smoke and sometimes visibly swaying as he tossed his darts.

No one could have looked or acted less like a sporting figure, yet he won two world championships and a host of other competitions. In the process he became something close to a national figure, regarded with affection for the incongruity of his successes and his exceptionally unhealthy lifestyle. He made a lot of money but lost it through financial misfortune, announcing his withdrawal with the words, "I'm all washed up and finished with darts. There's only one person to blame for the situation I'm in, and that's me." At that point he returned to his home town of Kirkcaldy, Fife, becoming a recluse in a small council flat. He was only 62 when he died, after years of suffering from the lung disorder chronic pulmonary obstructive disease and other ailments. In addition to his harmful adult lifestyle, he had a bad start in health terms, as a boy eating many sweets but refusing to brush his teeth. "My gran told me the English poison the water," he maintained. He became a manual worker, with spells as a miner and coal delivery man.

It was during a spell of unemployment that he discovered he could make money from winning darts tournaments and, after turning professional in 1979, he made his way into the sport's top 10 players. His rise coincided with the televising of darts and the emergence of a number of characters. One of these was Eric Bristow, known as the Crafty Cockney, who was darts' number one; but Wilson captured the public imagination as the most unathletic player on show. An admiring Scots poet wrote proudly of him: "He's sixteen stain of fat and pain." In 1983 Wilson, who had he nickname Gumsy, produced his autobiography, Jocky. Having no teeth was not a problem, he insisted: "I can manage just about anything with my gums," he wrote. "I can chew a steak provided it's well done. I can even eat apples. Great Yarmouth rock and nuts are the only two things that defeat me." In the early years of televised darts, players were shown smoking and drinking pints of beer, even during important matches, something that helped create a pub-like atmosphere for the cameras.

Wilson was probably among the top 10 drinkers as well as the top 10 players, saying he needed seven or eight vodkas before a match "to keep my nerves in a proper state". He once fell off the stage at the end of a game. Darts commentator Sid Waddell remembered: "Jocky would drink four or five pints of lager and then, fatally, what he called the magic Coke. He would take off the top of a litre bottle of Coke and then top it up with half a litre of vodka and pass it round." Despite, or perhaps because of, such excessive consumption, Wilson won the world championship in 1982. In 1989 he won it a second time, beating Bristow in the final: without the cockney's dominance of the game, the Scotsman would probably have won more tournaments. He was certainly competitive, especially with Bristow, who once described a violent piece of Wilson gamesmanship before one televised match. "As I climbed up [on stage], Jocky kicked me straight on the shin," he recalled.

"The officials pulled us apart and I had to climb up, live on TV, even though I could feel my leg bleeding under my trousers. Jocky came up behind and I had to shake hands in front of the cameras and smile at him. All I wanted to do was strangle him." Wilson's money drained away in a sorry tale of legal battles and unpaid tax, and he retired in 1996 at the age of 45. According to Waddell: "He couldn't be Jocky Wilson without a lot of drink. He couldn't be the player he was. Unfortunately, the 10 pints of lager and the three or four vodkas are going to kill you, if you do it every night." Wilson himself partly agreed with this assessment in the rare occasions during his retirement when reporters were able to snatch hurried interviews with him at his front door. "The drink came into it," he said, "but I wouldn't say it was just the drink. I just wasn't able to do it. I didn't have the energy. I'm glad I'm out of it, because of the way my mind was at the time. "I just didn't have it in me.

Maybe my mind wasn't right, but I just couldn't get out of there quick enough. I didn't have any go in me. "I said to myself, 'I'll just have to get out of this because I can't handle it any more'." In retirement, he continued to drink and smoke heavily, so that by recent times his ailments included diabetes, depression and arthritis. He rarely left his flat, saying: "I don't even go out – only to the doctor." He is survived by his Argentinian-born wife, Malvina, and their three children, daughter Anne Marie and sons John and William. John Thomas Wilson, darts player: born Kirkcaldy 22 March 1950; married Malvina (two sons, one daughter); died Kirkcaldy 24 March 2012. More about: Dimplex Dart Flights Standard Crafty Cockney Dimplex Dart Flights Standard Crafty Cockney Dimplex Dart Flights Standard Crafty Cockney Click Image for Gallery Reviews (0) Embossed dimplex flights that use the golf ball theory that having dimples on the flights keep the dart more stable during flight.

These flights have embossed dimples down the side of the flight and have ridges down the centre of the flight to focus the air flow over the middle of the flight while keeping the dart stable. 1 Set = 3 x Flights Thickness - 75 Micron Available In Other Colour, Designs & Packs Here Write a review Note: HTML is not translated! Rating Enter the code in the box below Continue Very small rubber rings that attach on to the thread of a dart stem, they are used to keep the stem .. £0.99 Very small rubber rings that attach on to the thread of a dart stem, they are used to keep the stem .. £1.50 Dart stem gripping springs used for keeping the flights locked into nylon stems comes in a pack of 1.. £0.99 Dart stem gripping springs used for keeping the flights locked into nylon stems comes in a pack of 3.. £1.50 Stem crowns (castles) used for gripping the dart flights into nylon stems, comes in a pack of 3 sets.. £1.50 This 21st Century nylon plastic shaft features precision factory-fitted machined rings, which, unlik..

£0.99 This 21st Century nylon plastic shaft features precision factory-fitted machined rings, which, unlik.. £0.99 • Darts designed and used by the 5-time champion of the world Eric 'The cra.. £23.25 • Darts designed and used by the 5-time champion of the world Eric 'The cra.. £23.25 • Darts designed and used by the 5-time champion of the world Eric 'The cra.. £23.25 123 Fashion Ave. NY, 10010 About Us Here at Perfectdarts we are all players just like you! That’s why when it comes to your darts requirements and wanting the best products at affordable prices we have you covered for anything from a set of flights right up to a selection of darts and dartboards. To us the customer always comes 1st and our aim is to provide a service that is second to none.

Darts 501 - Darts History Share / Home / Resource / Darts History The sport or game of darts is unique in several ways: the equipment required to play is reasonably inexpensive, a relatively small amount of space is required to play and special clothing is not required. Age, gender, size and physical strength or endurance have almost no effect on a player's ability to do well. These factors combine to make darts one of the appealing and popular games today. The game of darts is hundreds of years old rumour has it that the sport originally began as a contest between bored soldiers / archers during respites from battle. The soldiers threw short throwing spears into the upturned ends of wine barrels. As their competition progressed, a more critically marked target became necessary, which led to the use of a slice of a tree as a target. The natural rings of the tree proved perfect for scoring purposes, as did the radial cracks which appeared as the wood dried out. The winter forced the game indoors, and shorter darts and basic indoor rules were adopted.

In 1530 Anne Boleyn gave Henry VIII a set of "darts of Biscayan fashion, richly ornamented," these were not darts as we know them today but more of a small throwing spear. Even our Pilgrim fathers are said to have had darts on the Mayflower (1620) and although their main use was for a weapon it is conservable they may have used the butt of a wine cask as a "board" for target practise. However Queen Elizabeth I throw the odd dart as seen here below Queen Elizabeth I throwing darts in Slough, England Pub Darts Match circa 1937 The dart itself became more or less standardised as the practice of throwing "missiles" at targets became a general pastime -- the barrel was typically a piece of wood about 4 inches long with a metal point stuck in one end and feathers on the other. An American patented a folded-paper flight in 1898, and the all-metal barrel was patented by an Englishman in 1906. The Dartboard Numbering System.

The number system on the board is often credited to Brian Gamlin, a carpenter from Bury, Lancashire, who is said to have invented it at the age of 44 in 1896 but he died in 1903 without patenting it. But after extensive research viewing the English and Wales Census and contacting Bury News papers and archives no trace of Brian existence can be found. This is not to say he didn't exist, as some reports say that Brian was also attached to a travelling circus and may have missed the census at the time... According to another source, Thomas William Buckle invented the dartboard in 1913. The source in question is his son, Thomas Edward Buckle who 1992 made this statement in Darts World (issue 234). Pictures: (Left) Man at the fair "21 or under wins a prize! Outside the board or fallen darts count 18!" (Right) Thomas William Buckle The Hockey / Oche Where does the word Oche come from?

'Oche' as a word meaning the throwing line which a dart player stands behind to throw his or her darts is comparatively recent, being introduced by the British Darts Organisation in the mid-1970s. The actual word is believed to be derived from Old Flemish (or similar) meaning a notch or nick but let the truth be known. The truth is since the 1920s, the word was ‘Hockey’ and not ‘Oche’ was used in competition rules. It is believed a writer miss herd the name and recorded it as 'Oche'. References to 'Hockey and Son' Brewery and the throwing distance being created by putting beer creates end to end has always been a nice theory but it is totally untrue. No such Brewery every existed in the UK hence to say this myth as been around for years. Why is the Oche 7’ 9 ¼ " / 2.73m? Over the years many myths have repeated as regards how the Hockey / Oche length came to be but why 7’ 9 ¼ “ / 2.73m it is rather a weird length isn’t it! Why not 7’10” or 2.8m?

It basically comes down to trying to standardise the Oche length across the Country and in Europe. In the UK several setups where commonly used however two of the most prominent were 7’6” and 8’, The News of the World Championships was played at 8’ so why the change? Before and after the 1939-45 war a 9ft throw was popular Hockey (Oche) length. However that was to change. From 9ft, the throwing distance gradually crept nearer the board until 7ft 6in was the rule for most major competitions in UK with exception of the News of The World Completion that remained at 8ft. Players from outside the UK were not happy with the 7ft 6in because they felt it was too short and during a meeting with in December 1977 with the World Darts Federation a compromise was met. The Federation worked in meters not imperial measurement used in the UK for dartboard set-up; 7ft 6in is 2.28 meters, and 8ft is 2.44 meters.

To make an agreed length a compromise was made halfway between the two, but wait a minute, halfway between the two is 7’9” so where does the extra ¼” come from? 7’ 9” didn’t equate nicely into metric so the addition of ¼” made the distance fit nicely at 2.37m hence the standard Oche length of today. The sport was nearly banned in the public houses of Great Britain! In 1908 a decision was made by the Magistrates in Leeds, England which effectively ensured the eventual popularity of darts as a sport. At that time, "games of chance" were illegal in public houses (pubs). A pub owner called "Foot" Annakin was accused of operating a game of chance and prosecuted for allowing darts at his establishment. Foot argued that darts was not a game of chance, and obtained permission for a board to be set up in the courtroom. It is said that Anakin threw three darts in the 20 and invited any magistrate to do the same. The challenge was accepted, however the court officials were unable to duplicate Foot's shot, thus proving darts was indeed a game of skill and not of chance; the case was dismissed.

The years afterward saw the progression of the game in British public houses; by World War II the majority of pubs had dartboards, and teams and matches with other pubs were arranged on a regular basis. Further research by Dr Patrick Chaplin reveals that Annakin wasn't a publican at all he worked in a forge. Annakin was in fact the best darts and dominoes player in the Adelphi Inn. When the landlord of the Adelphi, Jim Garside, was summoned to Leeds Magistrates’ Court to answer the charge of allowing a game of chance to be played on his premises, he asked Annakin to come along and demonstrate darts was a game of skill. The first major step towards making darts the international game it is today occurred when The News of the World, a British Sunday newspaper, instituted its championship in 1927. Originally confined to the London area, the event nevertheless drew large numbers of participants, and due to its success became a national competition after World War I. This event grew into one of the most prestigious and sought-after international titles in the sport, but was suspended in 1990. It returned in 1997, but is now restricted to players in the UK.

(This event sadly is no longer being played) Major credit for promotion of the game goes to The News of the World and also to the National Darts Association of Great Britain (NDA), formed in 1954, for their contributions in creating both an international forum for the sport, and establishing basic acceptable rules of play. The NDA drew together various Counties and London groupings, and began holding English national competitions in 1957. The British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was formed in 1973 by Olly Croft, he helped to coordinate the strengths of the various County associations and the development of various County championships, with the organisation of international events following soon after. The BDO's primary focus at that time was acquiring sponsors and running special events for television. In 1978 the BDO organised the Embassy World Professional Championships, one of the biggest events in darts. In 1976 the BDO was a major force in setting up the World Darts Federation (WDF), which was formed by representatives from 15 Countries to govern and promote the sport of darts on an international basis.

Among the first decisions of the WDF were the recommendation of a standard throwing distance for all countries, and the inauguration of the World Cup, an international event held every two years since 1977 in which top players compete for their respective countries. Today the WDF is comprised of the national darts organising body from each of 49 member countries, representing six continents. The 1970's and 1980's witnessed the first darts 'stars' such as Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Alan Evans, Jocky Wilson, Leighton Rees, Cliff Lazarenko, to name just a few. All became household names during this period. Four Past World Champions left to right Leighton Ress, John Lowe, Eric Bristow MBE & Jocky Wilson In 1992 saw a great split between the BDO and a number of professional players. The game had lost some sponsors and had declined from the TV screens leaving the Embassy World Championship as the only televised event. The professionals felt that not enough was being done to encourage more sponsors into their sport and TV courage should be greater than one event a year.

A group of professionals including Eric Bristow MBE, John Lowe, Phil Taylor, Dennis Priestley and many more formed a new darts organisation known as the World Darts Council (WDC) and the following few years saw any member of this new organisation excluded from BDO events. A legal battle between WDC and the BDO was also on the way. This bitter dispute over the rights to darts organisation fell in favour of the WDC but one of the words ‘World’ had to be dropped. The organisation as we know it today is the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) The PDC have now introduced some key, high profile competitions including the World Matchplay, Grand Prix and the PDC World Championship. The British Darts Organisation (BDO) continues to support youth and County darts and organises major championships including the Winmau World Masters and the Lakeside World Championships (formerly the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship.) The rise of the 'Power' Phil Taylor To make a history page and still be at the top of your game is some achievement by anyone's standard. But by far the one darter that has dominated the sport for the past decade and a half is Phil 'The Power' Taylor.

Phil has won the PDC World Championships no less than fourteen times and before that the BDO / WDF World Championship twice making him the sixteen times World Darts Champion. (January 2013) During this time darts promoter and chairman of the PDC Barry Hearn arranged a head to head encounters with the then current BDO / WDF World champion, Phil has always won these encounters, proving beyond doubt he is the greatest darts player the World has even seen in the modern sport of darts. Is Darts a Sport or a Game? On The 24th March 2005 Sport England took the lead in officially recognising darts as a sporting activity. The decision was approved at a recent Sport England Main Board meeting and paves the way for further recognition from other sports councils in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In taking the initiative to acknowledge darts as a legitimate sporting activity, Sport England took into account its status as a national and international sport, its high and growing levels of participation and the physical and mental skills and dexterity needed to compete successfully.

Sport England Chief Executive, Roger Draper, said that the Board decision looked beyond the stereotypical image of darts and took into account its many positive sporting and social values: “The presentation of darts as a pub game has helped popularise its cult appeal, but the reality is that it is a sport played by many thousands of people across the county in locations ranging from schools to village halls, social clubs and sports centres". "By taking the lead in recognising the skills and social and community values associated with darts, we hope others will follow suit in the near future to complete its formal and official recognition as a sport,” he added. Full sporting recognition will allow darts authorities to take advantage of tax incentives afforded to recognised sports by the Government. There are currently no plans for Sport England to fund darts, as in February this year (2005) the four-year funding strategy was confirmed for the national governing bodies of sport. Initially recognised by Sport England, on the 3rd June 2005 Sport Wales, Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Scotland have now added their unanimous agreement that darts is to be recognised as a sport.

UK Honours Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Olly Croft Olly Croft the founder of the British Darts Organisation in 1973 was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for service to darts in 2004. Olly was the director of the British Darts Organisation from 1973 – 2011 when he was voted off the board. His name however will always associated with the modern game of darts in an era that shone with TV dart stars such as Eric Bristow MBE, John Lowe, Leighton Ress, Jocky Wilson, Bobby George and many others Eric Bristow Darts Eric 'The Crafty Cockney' Bristow Eric Bristow Darts About Us Dartspower.co.uk is a trading name of Sportpower Limited with over 15 year’s retail experience. We pride ourselves on the consistency and quality of our product collection and the service we deliver to our customers. Trading very successfully from our fully stocked store in Worksop and also online.

Our main emphasis is on selling a diverse range of high quality branded products bringing our customers the latest in everything from within the World of darts at affordable prices season after season from brands such as Harrows, Target, Unicorn and Winmau. Contact us

Question: Which Dart player was known as 'The Crafty Cockney'?
Answer: Eric Bristow